Tarte Tatin Easy As Pie

Most home bakers have made at least one apple pie by now.This is apple season and the most obvious dish is pie.Unfortunately many find the recipe cloying the process tedious.If that's the case then look to the French.Their recipe tarte that in is a great way to use apples and enjoy a luxurious but relatively easy dessert. Julia Moskin recommended this recipe in her Recipe Lab Column in today's New York Times Dining section.Even though she is an accomplished baker as well as cook, she sought advice from Ron Paprocki, pastry chef at the famed Gotham Bar and Grill.His tarte Tatin is so well liked that it has a cult following.This dessert isn't really so much of a pie but a fluffy , buttery tart,it's origins coming from the Hotel Tatin in the Sologne region of the Loire Valley.It requires both the stove top and the oven, but it's not as complicated as that.Really. The apples are caramelized first then the bottom crust is put over them.The entire tarte is then flipped and baked in an oven.The result is a heavenly mix of buttery layered crust and the fruit.One of the aspects of the pie is it doesn't have cinnamon or brown sugar to detract from the rich earthy sweetness of the apple slices.It just the sugar and butter that brings it all to another level.Unlike American pies that require the tart Granny Smith tarte Tatin requires Braeburn or a mix of the Grannies and Honeycrisps to balance out the first 's tartness.The apples should be peeled and quartered before baking.As for the crust you can make it yourself or just buy the puff pastry. With any French dish, it's all about the hardware and the technique.You should have a heavy skillet for cooking the apples.This makes for a better caramelization and cooking Another must is drying the apples so they're not soggy.This is a have to because it can ruin the tart's texture.Pastry chef Paprocki recommends this,his method being leaving the sliced and peeled apples in bowls.Fans are then set around to dry them out.Home bakers can do this just by putting the slices in bowl covered by paper towels and placing it in the fridge for a couple of days. The result is leathery apples but doing this makes them hold their shapes during the caramelization process.Said process can be daunting however there's no need to freak out over this.Carmelization is actually easy.First take a layer of butter in the pan; this acts as a buffer to the then added white sugar.The apples are then put into a flower petal arrangement, standing up as opposed to just laying down.They are then caramelized,bathed in a mix of their own juices with the butter and sugar,.The pastry is then draped over them, kind of like draping a blanket over oneself.This should be done after five minutes and then popped into a waiting and hot oven.Don't worry if it turns out as a mush,This is one of the best parts of the tart Tatine.It is good on it's own but you can add a creme fraiche to it. Tarte Tatin is a tasty alternative to apple pie. It is a happy marriage of butter ,sugar and apples. This modern French classic is a great way to celebrate the harvest.